With the world perennially being on the internet, new and new trends are bound to come up all the time. One of these whacky trends that have surfaced nowadays when it comes to travel is raw-dogging flights. What does it mean you ask? Well, Raw dogging trend dictates that one must take a flight, and not use any of the amenities provided. If you’re taking a rawdogging flight, you basically take a long haul flight, and use no in flight entertainment, eat nothing, drink no water, and some people take it as far as no sleep.
Now that you’ve learnt about rawdogging flight meaning, it is obvious that you might wonder where did this weird trend come from? The craze is believed to have stemmed from the Apple TV+ series ‘Hijacked,’ in which Idris Elba’s character, Sam Nelson sits stone-faced throughout a seven-hour flight from Dubai to London after thieves take control of the plane. It took off on the Tiktok, and many men got on board. While some claimed it took them in a different peaceful spiritual realm, others believe they got bragging rights to being the alpha male on board.
The trend has the internet divided, and irrespective of how you look at the raw dogging trend socially, the one thing that unites health practitioners together is just how dangerous the trend is for your physical, and consequentially mental health. Here are some of the issues that have been pointed out with the raw dogging trend:
Lack of rest
Let’s say you are on a 10-hour flight to the other part of the world. If you follow the raw dogging flight rules, odds are that you’ll be dehydrated, hungry, possibly cold, and definitely disoriented by the time you land at the place you’re supposed to. On long haul flights, as medical practitioners all over the world have pointed out, the raw dogging trend is basically inviting trouble. You need as much rest as you can get to be refreshed and ready to take on the world once you land. And in general cases, the jet lag will be enough trouble, do you honestly need more?
Unhygienic travel practices
The planes, thanks to their much-needed air conditioning are quite dry. This further accelerates the dehydration. Consuming ample water, using the lavatory, and washing your hands, are just basic hygienic practices. If you’re rawdogging your flight, you’re most probably going to skip these, which puts you in a position to get more infections and pick up more diseases.
Blood clots
Sitting in one single place for a long time can constrict blood flow in your lower body, further significantly increasing the chances of blood clots. This is why it’s never a good idea to still still for the entirety of a long-haul flight that’s six or more hours. Even if the seatbelt sign is on and you can’t get up and stretch, health experts recommend moving your legs and feet around to make sure that your blood flow isn’t constricted. If you’re rawdogging your flight, you are at a higher risk of the health issues like these.